Field of Invention and Prior Art
This invention relates to a clasp knife holding device and is particularly directed such device for holding a clasp knife or a jackknife or the like in such a manner that it is readily available to the user.
A clasp knife, according to WEBSTERS THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY, G. & C. Merriam Company, Springfield, Mass., U.S.A. (1963), is a large pocket knife, the blade or blades of which fold or shut into the handle. A jackknife is defined as a large one-bladed knife having a catch to hold the blade open rigidly. Other dictionaries have similar definitions, though not always the same. As far as this invention is concerned, it is to be understood that a clasp knife is a large pocket knife containing one or more blades which fold into the handle and are spring-biased to closed position and to open position. It is particularly useful in connection with one-bladed folding knives of the class described having a catch to hold the blade open rigidly.
Such knives are commonly used by hunters and have the advantage over hunting knives in that the blade can be folded away into the handle where it is less likely to cause injury through careless handling. The hunting knife, of course, has the advantage over the clasp knife in that it is ready for action as soon as the hunter withdraws it from the scabbard.